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War Thunder Introduces the “Walking Tank”

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that War Thunder’s 8 million players will get a chance to experience the unique capabilities of an armored behemoth known as ‘The Walking Tank’. Developed in Top Secret by Soviet Forces at the beginning of World War 2, the ST-1 walking tank was the brainchild of Soviet engineers in a bid to bring truly mobilized firepower to the open battlefield. The concept behind the all-terrain walking tank was to breach battlefield areas where traditional tank formations could not advance, smashing enemy armored divisions in their wake.

Designed to obliterate heavily fortified enemy positions and installations with its heavy main gun, the ST-1 was a radical new approach to conventional tank design. The walking tank’s unique design meant it could navigate the deadly hazards of anti-tank obstacles, such as trenches, and was practically impervious to standard anti-tank mines. The War Thunder development team was given exclusive access to Top Secret Soviet archives and design documents to recreate the ‘Walking Tank’ for War Thunder.

During World War 2, as a direct result of the high production and maintenance costs coupled with the fact its upright walking mode made it a highly visible and vulnerable target to enemy ordnance, the ST-1 Walking Tank was retired from service. The ST-1 can be found in the list of German and American ground force vehicles. Incredibly, five of the walking tanks were captured by German Forces in 1942 and three tanks were shared with American Forces as part of the Technical Developments Exchange Program. Aspects of the the ST-1 design features lives on in other Soviet tank projects, and the turret of the ST-1 is a design combination of the KV-2, T-26 and T-60 turrets.

War Thunder players are also being given the opportunity to try a brand new mode with a uniquely experimental tank providing new and experienced players with simulation quality gameplay. The first tank available in the mode is the SPS-255. Formulated with special rubberized armor, it has no particular vulnerabilities anywhere on its armor. That’s why instead of the realistic damage model used for all the other vehicles in War Thunder, the SPS-255 introduces a new hit-point system which depletes opponents’ tank hit-points with every on-target hit scored. Furthermore, two unique types of specially formulated shells were developed specifically for use in the field of combat and both deeply rooted in military history.The development team is confident that the new mode will be enjoyed by novice players who have not yet mastered the realism of tank combat in a game like War Thunder. Battle hardened and experienced tank crews may also appreciate the ‘unique’ ammunition as a welcome break from brutally realistic battles.

Try the new ST-1 and SPS -255 tanks in action in War Thunder in the “Events” section.